A plain-language breakdown of R.S. 40:1137.1 et seq., the Jump Start Your Heart Act (Act 234, 2023), the 2024 coach certification law (R.S. 17:440.3), and the Louisiana administrative regulations governing AED programs.
Louisiana has one of the most comprehensive state AED frameworks in the country. The core statute, R.S. 40:1137.3, imposes baseline program requirements on any entity that possesses an AED: physician or advanced practice registered nurse (APRN) involvement in the program, CPR and AED training for designated users, manufacturer-compliant maintenance, immediate EMS activation during any cardiac arrest, post-use reporting to the supervising physician or APRN, and local EMS notification of device location. Civil liability immunity under R.S. 40:1137.4 and the general Good Samaritan statute at R.S. 9:2793 covers a broad range of participants in AED programs.
Three sectors face mandatory placement obligations beyond the baseline. Physical fitness facilities with more than 50 members must have an AED on premises. Institutions of higher education competing in intercollegiate athletics must have an AED in their athletic department. And every K-12 school and every postsecondary institution in Louisiana must have an AED on premises in an easily accessible location, with AED and trained personnel present at sponsored athletic events, and a formal cardiac emergency response plan, all implemented beginning with the 2024-2025 school year under the Jump Start Your Heart Act (Act 234, 2023).
A 2024 law, R.S. 17:440.3, adds a separate obligation beginning the 2025-2026 school year: every coach at an elementary, middle, or high school must hold current CPR and AED certification.
Not legal advice. This page summarizes publicly available statutes for informational purposes. Laws change and individual circumstances vary — consult a qualified attorney or the Louisiana Department of Health before relying on this for compliance decisions.
Louisiana requires physician or APRN oversight for every AED program
Unlike most states, Louisiana does not limit this requirement to schools or fitness facilities. Any person or entity that possesses an AED must involve a licensed Louisiana physician or APRN authorized to prescribe in their program. This is a baseline obligation under R.S. 40:1137.3(A)(2), not a sector-specific rule.
Every K-12 school and every postsecondary institution must have an AED on premises beginning the 2024-2025 school year, with a CERP, athletic event coverage, and BEMS registration within 60 days.
All coaches at elementary, middle, and high schools must hold current CPR and AED certification beginning the 2025-2026 school year (R.S. 17:440.3).
Louisiana is among a small number of states requiring medical oversight for every AED possessor, not just regulated facility types. A licensed LA physician or APRN must be involved in every program.
BEMS inspects on complaint. First violation: written warning plus 30 days. Second: $100-$150. Third+: $150-$200. Fourth: referral to attorney general.
Louisiana AED Requirements at a Glance
| Requirement | Summary |
|---|---|
| Physician/APRN oversight All programs | Every AED possessor must involve a licensed Louisiana physician or APRN authorized to prescribe to ensure compliance with training, EMS notification, and maintenance. |
| CPR/AED training | Expected AED users must receive appropriate training in CPR and AED use from a nationally recognized course. |
| Device maintenance | AEDs must be maintained and tested per manufacturer guidelines, including warranty and expiration review for the device, pads, and batteries. |
| EMS notification at acquisition | AED possessors must notify a local EMS provider (911 service, ambulance, or fire department) of the acquisition, location, and type of device. |
| EMS activation during use | EMS must be activated as soon as possible when an AED is used on a cardiac arrest patient. |
| Post-use reporting | Any clinical AED use must be reported to the supervising physician or APRN involved in the possessor’s program. |
| Physical fitness facilities | Facilities with more than 50 members offering physical fitness services must keep an AED on premises with a written CPR/AED protocol. |
| Collegiate athletic departments | Any institution of higher education competing in intercollegiate athletics must have an AED in its athletic department, placed in open view within 2 feet of a telephone for 911 access. |
| All schools and postsecondary New 2024-25 | Each K-12 school and each postsecondary institution must have an AED on premises in an easily accessible location. AED must be reachable within 3 minutes. BEMS registration required within 60 days. |
| Athletic events (JSYH Act) | Any school or postsecondary institution sponsoring an interscholastic or intercollegiate athletic event must have an AED and a trained AED user certified in first-aid CPR present at the event. |
| Cardiac Emergency Response Plan | Each K-12 school and postsecondary institution must develop and implement a written CERP with seven required elements, prepared jointly with local emergency responders. |
| Annual personnel education | School personnel must be educated at least annually about AED location, function, and use. |
| Post-use supply replenishment | After any AED use at a school or postsecondary institution, supplies must be immediately replenished and the device prepared for the next event. |
| School coach certification New 2025-26 | All coaches at elementary, middle, and high schools must hold current CPR and AED certification beginning the 2025-2026 school year (R.S. 17:440.3). |
| Written CPR/AED plan (fitness) | Physical fitness facilities must have a written CPR/AED protocol or plan and report all AED use to their supervising medical oversight for confidential review. |
| Good Samaritan immunity | Broad civil immunity for rescuers, physicians and APRNs involved in AED programs, trainers, purchasers, site owners, and expected users. Does not apply to willful or wanton misconduct or gross negligence. |
Louisiana AED Statutes & Regulations
R.S. 40:1137.3
Program requirements and mandatory placement (as amended by Act 234, 2023)
Core baseline duties for all possessors plus three mandated placement settings
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Subsection A — baseline duties for all AED possessors: Every AED possessor must meet five program obligations. The AED must be maintained and tested per manufacturer guidelines. A licensed Louisiana physician or APRN authorized to prescribe must be involved in the program to ensure compliance with training, EMS notification, and maintenance. Expected AED users must receive CPR and AED training from a nationally recognized course. EMS must be activated as soon as possible when the AED is used on a cardiac arrest patient. Any clinical use must be reported to the supervising physician or APRN.
Subsection B: AED possessors must notify a local EMS provider of the acquisition, location, and type of device.
Subsection C: Manufacturers, wholesale suppliers, and retailers selling AEDs for use in Louisiana must notify purchasers of the requirements in this section.
1. AEDs must be readily available within three minutes of a cardiac arrest
2. Institutions must register with the BEMS Information Management System within 60 days, and update within 30 days of any change
3. School personnel must be educated at least annually about AED location, function, and use
R.S. 40:1137.1 & 1137.2
Legislative findings and definitions
Purpose and scope of the AED subchapter; definition of AED including pediatric capability
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R.S. 40:1137.1 states the legislature found that more than 350,000 Americans die annually from out-of-hospital sudden cardiac arrest, and that more than 20,000 deaths could be prevented annually with wider AED availability. The statute declares the legislature’s intent to encourage greater AED acquisition, deployment, and use across Louisiana communities.
R.S. 40:1137.2 defines an AED as an FDA-approved medical device capable of recognizing ventricular fibrillation or rapid ventricular tachycardia, determining whether defibrillation is needed, charging and requesting delivery of an electrical impulse upon that determination, and delivering that impulse. The administrative regulations add that pediatric AED capabilities are required.
R.S. 40:1137.4
Limitation of liability — AED program participants
Six categories of protected parties; does not apply to willful or wanton misconduct
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In addition to civil immunity available under other Louisiana law, this section protects six categories of participants from civil damages arising out of AED use.
1. Any prescribing APRN or physician who authorized purchase of the AED
2. Any physician or APRN involved in the possessor’s program
3. Any person or entity providing CPR and AED training to the acquirer
4. Any AED purchaser
5. Any person or entity owning or responsible for the site or security patrol vehicle where the AED is located
6. Any expected user regularly on the premises or in the vehicle
Protection does not apply to willful or wanton misconduct or gross negligence.
R.S. 9:2793
Gratuitous emergency care — Good Samaritan immunity
Broad protection for any person rendering emergency care including AED use without compensation
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Any person who in good faith gratuitously renders emergency care, first aid, or rescue at a scene of emergency is not liable for civil damages for any act or omission in rendering that care, unless they act intentionally or with gross negligence. The statute explicitly includes AED use as covered emergency care.
R.S. 17:440.3
Coach CPR and AED certification (enacted 2024 — effective 2025-2026 school year)
All coaches at elementary, middle, and high schools must hold current certification
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Coaches who are certified under this section receive the protection of the general Good Samaritan statute at R.S. 9:2793 when using their AED training in an emergency.
LA Admin. Code Title 48, Part LXXXVI
AED maintenance standards for fitness facilities, collegiate athletics, and schools
Operational rules: placement specs, written protocol requirement, post-use review, enforcement penalties
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These regulations implement the mandatory placement requirements in R.S. 40:1137.3(D) and (E) for the three settings subject to statutory placement mandates.
LA Admin. Code Title 28, § 2320
Health education for high school students
CPR and AED instruction required as part of mandatory half-unit health education
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One half-unit of health education is required for high school students. Health education must include CPR and AED instruction, with an instructional program that is nationally recognized and based on current national evidence-based emergency cardiovascular care guidelines. Students must perform hands-on practice.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Louisiana require physician oversight for AED programs?+
Yes. R.S. 40:1137.3(A)(2) requires every AED possessor to involve a licensed Louisiana physician or APRN authorized to prescribe in their program. This is not limited to schools or fitness facilities. It applies to any person or entity that possesses an AED.
Does the Jump Start Your Heart Act require all Louisiana schools to have AEDs?+
Yes, beginning the 2024-2025 school year. The Act expanded the mandate to every K-12 school and every postsecondary institution in the state. Each must have an AED on premises in an easily accessible location, with AEDs readily available within three minutes of a cardiac arrest, and must register with BEMS within 60 days.
Are Louisiana school coaches required to be CPR certified?+
Yes, beginning the 2025-2026 school year. R.S. 17:440.3, enacted in 2024, requires all coaches at elementary, middle, and high schools to hold current CPR and AED certification.
Who is protected by Louisiana’s AED liability immunity?+
R.S. 40:1137.4 covers the prescribing physician or APRN who authorized the AED purchase, any physician or APRN involved in the program, CPR/AED trainers, AED purchasers, site owners, and expected users. R.S. 9:2793 separately covers any person who gratuitously renders emergency care in good faith. Neither immunity applies to willful or wanton misconduct or gross negligence.
Do Louisiana physical fitness facilities need a written AED plan?+
Yes. Any physical fitness facility or center must have a written CPR/AED protocol or plan for sudden cardiac arrest events. Any clinical AED use must be reviewed by the medical oversight of the possessor against that plan, and the review is privileged and confidential.
What must happen after a school uses its AED?+
Three things: EMS must have been activated during the event; the supervising physician or APRN must receive a report of the clinical use; and supplies used during the event must be immediately replenished and the device prepared for the next event.
What penalties apply if a physical fitness facility does not have a required AED?+
A first violation receives a written administrative warning with a 30-day voluntary compliance period. Continued non-compliance after that period brings a penalty of $100 to $150 per violation. A third or subsequent violation is $150 to $200 per violation. A fourth violation may be referred to the Louisiana attorney general for judicial enforcement.
Keep your Louisiana AED program compliant
Louisiana’s program requirements, school BEMS registration, post-use reporting duties, and physician oversight obligations create documentation needs across every AED in the program. AED Log tracks all of it in one dashboard with automatic reminders.
Statutes cited from the Louisiana State Legislature and the Louisiana Department of Health Bureau of Emergency Medical Services. This page reflects Act 234 of 2023 (Jump Start Your Heart Act) and SB 54 (Act 2024).
This page is for informational purposes only and is not legal advice. For guidance specific to your situation, consult a qualified attorney or the Louisiana Department of Health.